Kayak, pontoon, etc advice

[robkonowitch]

Living in Middletown, I have wanted to float the Swatara and Middletown Res. I have back problems but have been thinking of a kayak or pontoon. My budget is under $500 (my thought anyway) for boat. Obviously I will need to spend more on paddles, life vest etc.

Anyone have advice on what to get? Looked at a few things at Cabelas and Bass Pro but not sure what would work

 

[pete41]

sit in-not sit on and shop around-
get very usable ones for around $300-

 

[vanorvis]

I have had both, and prefer the Kayak. This is just my opinion, but I think there are less things to get tangled up on fly fishing from a kayak. Kayaks are much easier to haul, average weight around 40-50 lbs. I would not get a kayak less than 10 feet long.

Pontoon boats are good for some things but I have been on the Allegheny River before on an inflatable pontoon with the wind blowing hard enough up stream that I could not row downstream. It was a long day.

If it is a fast river with lots of moving water the pontoon is more stable.

Which ever you end up with either buy or fabricate a good anchor system. Its great if you can move it from one end to the other with out much effort. Sometimes on a lake it is nice to be able to anchor from the side. The wind, especially on a lake is your enemy.

Also make sure you get a good comfortable PFD. A good Kayak store will spend as much time fitting you with the PFD as the boat.

 

[krayfish2]

Depending on how bad your back is, I'd take the following into consideration:

Weight of boat

How easy is the boat to carry or move

Style of seat / support of the seat

 

[robkonowitch]

Thanks. I went to look at a few kayaks at Bass Pro just to see the size and see what a trolling motor would look like for a pontoon.

It seems like a kayak would be easier and cheaper. I need to research what I may be able to use easier and afford most

 

[melvinp]

I also have both and would say that I like fishing from my Pontoon better.Its higher off the water making it easier to see and u have better movement.On the flip side is is slow and you do a lot of paddling.Both are a hand full to load by your self.My Pontoon (skeeter) is pretty light but wide.My yak (Ocean trident 13) is long and pretty darn heavy.If your fishing a real good flow the pontoons are pretty sweet but if you have to cover any amount of ground the yak is far better.Just goes to show ya you need both but I would start with the yak.(SIT ON TYPE)Sorry pete not a fan of water coffens.

 

[MKern]

I have a normal kayak from dunhams and it works great. Definitely get an anchor (1.5 lb.), I got mine from Amazon for less than $20.

A friend of mine got a fishing kayak from bass pro and loves it, but it was three times the price of my standard kayak.

 

[vanorvis]

If you are looking at kayaks, I saw am Old Town Vapor 10 on sale with coupon for 299.00 at Dunhams. This is the one I have, it is a "sit in" but has a very large opening. Makes it very easy to get in and out of and lots of room for legs and fly line.

Good boat for the money.

 

[robkonowitch]

Trying to convince the wife...

 

[JohnPowers]

I much prefer actual fishing from the pontoon. Set up is not so great. Bad back? Me to. Weight is critical. A friends stores at my house an old town kayak with a long ****pit, don't know he model name, weight a ton. I'm 68' reasonably fit but I could not get it onto my CRV alone. Choose carefully and check craigslist. There looks to me no reason to ever buy a new boat.

 

[Fredrick]

robkonowitch wrote:
Living in Middletown, I have wanted to float the Swatara and Middletown Res. I have back problems but have been thinking of a kayak or pontoon. My budget is under $500 (my thought anyway) for boat. Obviously I will need to spend more on paddles, life vest etc.

Anyone have advice on what to get? Looked at a few things at Cabelas and Bass Pro but not sure what would work

Save up more money and get yourself a nice fishing kayak.

Kayak

 

[krayfish2]

Scroll halfway through the thread below. That's a sweet rig. There's a group of 4-6 guys with yaks that fish the same section of the Susky I do. No outriggers but they've got nice setups with multiple rod holders.


http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/southeast-u-s/266081-my-stand-fish-kayak.html

 

[bigjohn58]

krayfish2 wrote:
Scroll halfway through the thread below. That's a sweet rig. There's a group of 4-6 guys with yaks that fish the same section of the Susky I do. No outriggers but they've got nice setups with multiple rod holders.


http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/southeast-u-s/266081-my-stand-fish-kayak.html

That kayak is way out of his price range...I wasn't going to comment on this thread because there is no such thing as a cheap kayak that is going to be comfortable on your back. Unless you are spending about a grand or buying used there is no kayak out there that I would recommend. I own an Old Town Predator MX that is great for fly fishing with the open deck design but its rougly $1200. If you get a good kayak you can stand in them or sit all day without any kind of back issues! You often get what you pay for when it comes to kayaks. Pontoons on the other hand I have no knowledge about.

 

[afishinado]

bigjohn58 wrote:

krayfish2 wrote:
Scroll halfway through the thread below. That's a sweet rig. There's a group of 4-6 guys with yaks that fish the same section of the Susky I do. No outriggers but they've got nice setups with multiple rod holders.


http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/southeast-u-s/266081-my-stand-fish-kayak.html

That kayak is way out of his price range...I wasn't going to comment on this thread because there is no such thing as a cheap kayak that is going to be comfortable on your back. Unless you are spending about a grand or buying used there is no kayak out there that I would recommend. I own an Old Town Predator MX that is great for fly fishing with the open deck design but its rougly $1200. If you get a good kayak you can stand in them or sit all day without any kind of back issues! You often get what you pay for when it comes to kayaks. Pontoons on the other hand I have no knowledge about.

True above.

I have a cheaper kayak and find it tough to sit in comfort. When I use it in rivers, I think of it more as a vehicle for beaching - fishing - and moving down to the next spot. It's torture using on a lake after an hour or so.

The fishing kayaks that allow you to stand and fish with comfortable seats work well. But as BJ wrote above, they are pricey.

A pontoon is good for drifting a river, but they are not good at all rowing in a lake.

The OP stated he looking for a boat to fish a reservoir. For that purpose, I would recommend a small jon boat

A smaller new one or decent used one would be within your budget.

 

[sandfly]

Nucanoe, best out there with a bad back. I know. great on reservoirs and lakes

 

[robkonowitch]

This is what I was thinking about for the Swatara and Middletown Res:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/the-colorado-xt-pontoon?a=467500&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=WX2*0148597E46000&gclid=CjwKEAiA8K20BRDetNv3p6DNhXwSJADSwa3tUoYV-PEWcor3A8KwgrZqKZTYZq_7Rv8B9Mr-PhCq1BoCXYDw_wcB

I like the idea that I can put a trolling motor on it if I want. I am thinking though that I may wait until the Spring and see what my wife wants me to spend...

 

[krayfish2]

Rob,

With 500+ river miles and lots of hours riding on a pontoon, I'll offer up my 2 cents.

Pontoon pros:
* In moving water, pontoons are great and very stable.
* Pontoons hold a ton of stuff and are pretty light.
* Durable and allow you to bounce off of rocks.
* Pretty easy to patch / repair.

Pontoon cons:
* Suck in the wind
* Awkward to move and load as a single person.
* If you don't have a pick up or utility trailer, set up and tear down will make you not want to use it.
* Hit a submerged stick, root ball or hunk of metal.....POP
* Check PFBC regulations, may need to register if motor is used.

Getting a boat for the sake of having one is probably not the best idea. Look at weight capacity be it a pontoon or kayak.

The boat you listed (Colorado) is OK and probably won't give you more than 2 seasons of use due to the build quality. Spend $500 and it may last 18-24 months versus investing $1000 that will last as long as you want it to. I think I got my boat for $900 plus shipping and it's at least 6 years old. It has at least 10 more years in it and I used it HARD.

You may be better served holding off and putting away a little more cash. Maybe you luck into a great deal, find a boat on sale, etc.

You also have to consider how much water you will cover and do you like rowing? Will you fish from the boat or use it as transportation to get from "A" to "B"? Kayaks are a good option for getting somewhere fast and the wide fishing models are pretty stable for fishing out of. Below is boat from swap forum that is a good deal. May not be exactly what you're looking for but it's bulletproof. Also consider FishCat 9' model as an alternative to the Colorado. The FishCat IR9 is a bit more but I've seen them on clearance recently. Next step up is something like a NFO Skykomish which I believe Cabelas still carries for right around $1000. Allows you to drop anchor and stand. Aluminum frame so, no rust. I don't want to see you drop $500 to turn around and like it resulting in you dropping another $1000+ in less than a year.

http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/Open-Forums/Swap-Forum/Water-Master-Grizzly-Raft-Package/14,36359.html
http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=date&query=kayak
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=date&query=kayak
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Emotion-Muskie-Angler-ft-Kayak/2202577.uts?productVariantId=4542185&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=40-134767339-2&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04403968&rid=20

 

[robkonowitch]

Thanks! I think a small kayak may be the way to go in that case.

If anyone has one they want to give me.....

 

[robkonowitch]

thoughts on this:
http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=20759486&cp=4406646.4413993.4417832.82816016&categoryId=13041155

 

[bigjohn58]

robkonowitch wrote:
thoughts on this:
http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=20759486&cp=4406646.4413993.4417832.82816016&categoryId=13041155

Eh you wouldn't catch me in that! Doesn't look too stable...short kayaks are often not very stable. Ok for recreation if you are just paddling around and have nothing to lose when flipped but I wouldn't ever fish out of that!